By toggling on “compose image descriptions,” users have the ability to describe images
for the visually impaired.

Once a user turns on this feature, each time a user uploads any image to Twitter the
user will have the opportunity to click “add description” on the image. Users can
add a description, also known as alt text, to images on desktop (Twitter.com) and
Twitter’s mobile app. The feature is not available on third-party apps like Tweetdeck
or Hootsuite.

For videos, Twitter does not provide a way for users to add captions after a video
is posted. However, users can add a description (200-character limit) of a video.
Upload a video directly to Twitter using either Twitter.com on desktop or studio.twitter.com.
Once the video is uploaded, users can type in a video description. On studio.twitter.com,
a user can click “Subtitles” and add an .SRT file. Please note this functionality
is only available to users on Twitter.com desktop and studio.twitter.com. It is not
available on Twitter’s mobile app or any third-party app.

Facebook

Add captions to all videos posted natively to Facebook. Here is how: once a user uploads
a video directly to Facebook and publishes it, click “Edit Video.” Then click “Captions.”

Once a user clicks “Captions,” here are two ways in which to add captions. The first
is by uploading an .SRT file that a user must generate (can use Notepad on PC or TextEdit
on Mac). The second is by clicking “Generate.” Facebook will then generate captions
for the user. However, many times the captions will be incorrect and will require
manual editing. When finished editing, click “Save” at the bottom. The video will
now have captions.

Even if users cannot provide captions during Facebook Live videos, once the video
is archived users can follow the same instructions for generating captions. Simply
click “Edit video” and generate and edit captions.

Another way to ensure accessibility on Facebook is by adding descriptive text to all
posted images. When users upload two or more photos in a Facebook post (including
a photo gallery), it is imperative that users click “Add a description” and provide
alt text of each image.

Instagram

It is imperative to add a caption to each Instagram post to ensure accessibility.
The character limit on Instagram captions is 2,200, so there is ample space to describe
the image or video uploaded by the user. However, it is best practice to be as concise
as possible, so users should keep that mind.

YouTube

Similar to Facebook, YouTube provides automatic captioning for uploaded videos that
are less than 10 minutes in length. However, it is imperative users edit captions
after using this feature because, like Facebook, the captions are often incorrect.
In addition, users can upload an .SRT file to add captions to YouTube videos. Once
logged into the YouTube account, users click Creator Studio > Video Manager > Videos.
Find the correct video and click “Edit.” Select “Subtitles/CC” and click “Add new
subtitles or CC” button.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns with accessibility in social media, please contact
social media team members within the LSU Division of Strategic Communications.